Exercise - Free Fitness Library
Shape up with LBT
Variety is the key to results. Create your own cross training programme to challenge and tone your muscles. Include these great Ultimate Legs Bums 'n' Tums sequences to your summer shape up workout 3-4 times a week for that essential toning, combined with 3-5 ½ hour weekly sessions of cardiovascular exercise to be fit and firm for the beach. Choose any aerobic activity to cross train as long as you do it long enought at a training intensity where you are breathing strongly.
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ULBT
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Achieved
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Legs - shape them using your own body weight to overload those muscles. For the workout you will need a chair or pole for support.
Standing Leg Combo
Muscles Targeted: Abductors, gluteals, hamstring, adductors, quadriceps, ilipsoas.
Side leg squeeze
1. Standing tall, using a chair or pole for support, the tailbone
is lengthened down, the spine is long, the abdominals are contracted
and the chest is lifted. Transfer your weight to your standing leg.
Keeping your knee forward and slightly bent, take your left leg out
to the side. Maintain it in a slightly bent position. Lift it to the
side then lower, avoid lifting too high. Repeat 8 times, pressing and
squeezing the outer thigh as you lift up and squeezing the inner thigh
as you lower.
Body Check: Avoid lifting too high and losing your balance.
Leg extension & curl
2. Maintain your posture. Now take the leg behind you squeezing into
the glute muscles, lifting only a few centimetres off the floor. Lift
and squeeze. Repeat 8 times.
Body Check: Avoid lifting the leg too high causing pressure to
the lower back.
Hamstring curl
3. Pull the heel in towards your backside, foot flexed then extend,
lower and curl the leg. Repeat 8 times.
Body Check: Keep your abdominals contracted throughout. Focus
on squeezing into your backside as you curl.
Inner thigh grip and lift
4a. From behind, turn the leg out to the side, rotating from the hip.
Your knee is now towards the ceiling.
4b. Lift the leg up and move it across in front of you, gripping your inside thighs and squeezing your buttocks as you do this. Take it back out to the side and repeat 8 times.
Point and extend
5a. Finally, extend your foot back down towards the floor. Touch your
toe to the floor.
5b. Lift and extend the leg in front of you.
Keep your abdominals contracted, hips stationary and avoid lifting the leg above hip level. Lift and lower 8 times.
Repeat the whole sequence on the left leg.
Beginners: Aim to do 2 repetitions, work gradually through the sequence.
Advanced: Aim for 4 sets.
Body Check: Maintain your exercise posture throughout the sequence
by contracting your abdominals and maintaining a natural curve in the
spine. Shake out any muscular discomfort during the sequence.
Bums Keep them firm, shapely and toned, don't sit around all
day
The Total Lunge & Squat Challenge
Muscles targeted: glutes, abductors, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves.
Narrow squat
1a. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, squat and lift to standing.
1b. Grip the inner thighs and glutes as you lengthen upright. Avoid squatting too deeply, extend your arms on the squat for balance. Repeat 8-16 times.
Body Check: As you squat be conscious of keeping your feet in line with the knees and hips. Keep the tailbone down and the spine lengthened. Maintain a natural curve in the lower back. The abdominals are contracted, the chest is lifted. Maintain this posture throughout the exercise.
Backward lunge
2. Hands on hips, lunge backwards keeping your abdominals contracted,
tailbone pointing down. Stride back, check your stride length keeping
your front leg knee in line with the ankle. The heel of the back extended
leg does not touch the floor. Push back up to standing. Grip and squeeze
your inner thighs together as you return to standing . Do alternating
backward lunges 8-16 times.
Body Check: Avoid striding back too far or bending the knee too deeply.
Plie press & squeeze
3. Rotate your legs from your hips. Place your legs into a natural wide
turn out. Abdominals contracted and tailbone down. From a standing position
bend your knees into a plie position. Then return to standing. Focus
on pressing downwards as you lower and gripping your inner thigh and
buttock muscles together as you rise to standing.
Do 8-16 repetitions, work up to 2 sets.
Body Check: Avoid bending too deeply. Keep your knees behind your toes and abdominals contracted throughout.
Tums
A completely flat stomach is rare, yet it can be firm. Warning: An excess
midriff bulge does not disappear through doing hundreds of sit-ups.
Aerobic exercise and a low fat diet shifts the excess fat. For this
workout you will need a mat and a small cushion
Chair Combo
Using a chair, bench or wall to isolate your abdominals muscles enabling
you to work deeper and harder as you crunch. Your feet and lower calf
are resting on a chair, legs relaxed.
Basic Curl
1a. Rotate your pelvis in towards you, arms bent, elbows held wide,
hands placed with fingers spread either side of your head, not clasped.
1b. Contract your abdominals and curl up lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the floor in one smooth action. Exhale on the lift. Lift and lower. Work up to 16 repetitions, advanced 2 sets. Rest for 15 seconds between sets.
Curl and rotate
Muscles targeted: Rectus abdominus, obliques.
2. With the fingers supporting the head, curl up and take the opposite
shoulder towards the opposite knee, look towards that side. Exhale,
return to the centre and roll down, exhale on the effort.
Beginners: 16 repetitions, Advanced: Two sets of 16 repetitions on alternate
sides.
Body Check: Avoid neck crunching
Reach & pulse
3. Curl up. Maintain the contraction holding the position and reach
to your knees. Now pulse and curl to your knees 8-12 times then lower.
Exhale on the effort.
Body Check: Avoid crunching your chin to your chest, one hand
may need to support your head. Keep your lower back pressed into the
floor as you curl and pulse.
Curl and rope climb (for advanced exercisers)
4. From the basic curl have the pelvis rotated inward, abdominals contracted
throughout the exercise, extend your arms upwards in front of you. Reach
up and rope climb, lifting your upper body slightly as you reach with
alternating arms.
Aim to do 16-24 repetitions.
Body Check: Avoid neck strain and hunching the shoulders - exhale
on the effort
Reverse curl & squeeze
Lie on your back with your feet together. Knees bent and your legs lifted
towards the ceiling with your arms resting on the floor. (Beginners:
place your hands palms down at the side of your body). Place a cushion
behind your knees, gripping it with your legs.
5. Focus on contracting your abdominal muscles pulling in and slightly
lifting your lower half. Exhale on the effort as you lift and curl.
Think of pulling your pubic bone to your chest.
Beginners 8 repetitions, work up to 2 sets, Advanced 16 repetitions,
2 sets.
Body Check: Avoid swinging the legs inwards, keep the movement smooth and controlled.
Advanced reverse curl crunch combo (not for beginners)
6a. As before in pic 5. This time hold the lower body in then curl up
with the upper body. Shoulders, arms and head lifted, hands are supporting
the head with fingers behind the ears, elbows are held wide.
6b. Crunch inwards 8 times then release the upper body then the lower
body. Exhale on the effort.
Body Check: Avoid neck crunching. There should be no discomfort in the lower back
The above are extracts from Lydia Campbell's Ultimate Legs Bums 'n'
Tums, and is on sale in all good bookshops now.
To order your copy, send a cheque for £8.99 plus £2.50 p+p
(total £11.49) payable to: Lydia Campbell Fitness
ULBT, Centre for Fitness
41 Overstone Rd, Hammersmith
London W6 0AD
or call 0181 748 7483 with your credit card details.